wolfe



(N0-Model.) s shaw-sheet 1.

H. R. WOLF'B.

l GAR BRAKE. No. 357,257'. y Patented'feb. 8, v188'7.

(No Model.) SISheets- Sheet 2. H. R. WOLFE.

GAR BRAKE.

No. 357,257. Patented Feb. 8, 1887.

Fay. 4.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE..

HARVEY R. VOLFE, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, ASSlGNOR-TO A.' G.

MUNN, TRUSTEE, OF SAME PLAGE.

CAR-emma.

SPECIFICATION foi-ming part of Letters Parent No. 357,257, datedFebruary a, ies-7..

Application filed October 2, 1856. Sti-inl No. 215.139. (No mmh-Ll .T0aZZ whom, il? may concern:

Be it known that l, HARVEY R. WOLEE, a citizen of theUnited States,residingat Louisville, in the county of Jefferson and State of Kentucky,'have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Car-Brakes, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of thisspecification.

My invention has for its object, primarily, the production of a systemof brakes `for freight-trains under the control of the engineer, andwhereby all of the brakes may be of ,a freight-train as is necessary toshow the application of myinvention, and with the axles in section, thenear Wheels being removed.

Fig. 3, Sheet l, is an enlarged rear elevation of the tender. Fig. 4,.Sheet 2, is aside elevation of a tender and box-car, representing amodificatiomwith the axles inv section and thev near wheels removed.Fig. 5, Sheet 2, is a plan view of a boxcar and iis appliances. Fig. 6,Sheet 2, is an enlarged plan view ot' the tender shown in Fig. 1. Fig.7, Sheet 3, is a bottom plan view showing the application of themechanism to the under side of a dat-car.

The same letters of reference are used to indicate identical parts inall the gures.

The rear axle of the locomotive-tender A has keyed or otherwise securedupon it a sprocket-wheel, B, from which a drive-chain extends around asecond sprocket-wheel, C, keyed or otherwise secured toavertically-adjustable horizontal shaft, D, Whose ends are journaled inboxes E, fitted into vertical slots in a frame, F, at each side 0f thetender-plat-- form. Just within the frames F friction-pulleys G arekeyed upon the shaft D, and these pulleys I preferably construct withpaper or leather peripheries. y

J ournaled in suitable frames, H, upon the tender-platform is a shaft,I, which I call the v'vinding-spool,7 which shaft has keyed upon itfriction-pulleys J, directly over the pulleys G. Above vthe shaft I is athird shaft, K, likewise provided with friction-pulleys L, in constantengagement with the pulleys J.

Small oscillating engines, M, of any approved construction have theirpistonfrods securedby cranks or wrist-pins to the ends of the shaft K ordisks thereon, so as to cause the revolution of said shaft when ste amis admitted lo the cylinders of the engines M. These cylin'- ders areset quartering to prevent dead-centers.

-To the lower sides of the frames F are secured other steamcylinders, N,whose rods are connected to the sliding boxes E in such manner that whensteam is admitted to the cylinders N the shaft D israised to bring thepulleys G into contact withthe pulleys J upon the windingspool. y

O is a steam-pipe extending under the tender from the boiler,withbranches Pleadng to the cylinders N, and A2 is a second steam' pipe,with branches Q leading to the cylinders of the engines M. R, operatedbylevers S within reach of the engineer admitsstcam to the cylinders M Nor' cuts it off. in this way either or both the power of the engines Mand thetraction of the tender may be employed to drive the spool I.

The cylinders N are preferably provided with safety-valves T, ot' theusual or any suitable construction, for a purpose to be hereinafterexplained. y

A ,Wire cable or chain, U, is coiled upon the spool I, to which it issecurely fastened, and extends therefrom up over a guide-pulley, V, uponthe top of the car just behind the tender, thence back and is fastenedtoand coiled upon a spool, W, looselyjonrnaled upon a shaft, a, securedtransversely across the top of the car near its middle. This same shafta has journaled upon it a similar spool, Y. To lock ther spools W and Yto the shaft a, I employ clutchblocks Vb, of the usual or any suitableconstruction, which, revolvingwith the shaft a, are free to slidethereon into or out of engagement with the spools W and Y, and areoperated by levers c, pivoted, as at d, to the top of the car andhaving' forked ends with pins entering circumferential slots in theclutch-blocks.

Any suitable valve,

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The cable U, secured to and coiled upon the spool Y, extends rearwardover a guide-pulley, Z, thence down under a snatch-block, e, which issecured to the upper end of a chain,

5 f, that extends down under a guide-pulley, g, and is cbnnected to thebrake-lever of the ordinary brakes now in use on freight cars. From thesnatch-block e the cable extends across under the snatch-block h of thenext car, and thence up and back in a similar manner t the rear of thetrain, where it is fastened in any suitable manner.

To hold the chains f substantially vertical and keep the snatch-blocksin their proper place, guide-pulleysj are employ ed, which are journaledin brackets k, secured to the ends of the cars, as shown.

The inner ends of the spools XV Y are provided with hand-wheels 1', forreadily revolving said spools to take up the slack in the cable at anytime, as in making up the train, and this is done by throwing theclutch-box of the spool out of gear, whereupon the spool is free torevolve independently either to pay out or take up the cable. The cableis preferably made up in sections united by snap-hooks l for the moreready coupling and uncoupling of the same when making up the train oruncoupling the cars.

Where flat cars are to be equipped the mechanism is applied to the underside thereof, as shown in Figs. 2 and 7, and where cars not equippedwith my invention are taken-into a train otherwise equipped with it, thecable is passed over them and connectedto the next equipped car.

It will be seen from this construction that when the engineer wishes toapply the brakes he merely has to admit steam to the cylinders M or N,or both of them, whereupon the pulleys J start to revolve andcommunicate their -motion to the windingspool I, and the pulleys G,which constantly revolve, are thrown-into contact with the pulleys J,and the cable U is drawn taut and wound upon the spool I, therebydrawing uniformly upon all ofthe chainsf and setting the brakes. Thecutting off of steam at once releases the brakes, as will be readilyunderstood.

In some cases the engines M and pulleys J may be dispensed with, inwhich case the weight of the tender alone would be relied upon to setthe brakes. Again, as amodilication of the means for revolving the spoolI, the means shown in Fig. et may be employed, where a shaft, A',journaled in a swinging frame, B, and having keyed upon it africtionpulley, C', is adapted to engage with africtionpulley, D', keyedto the rear axle of the tender. A sprocket-wheel keyed upon the shaft Ais connected by a chain to a sprocketwheel, E', upon the spool I. Tovibrate thisframe so as to bring the pulleys C' D into working contact,a piston, F', is secured under the tender, whose rod is suitablyconnected to swinging frame B' in such manner that when steam isadmitted to said cylinder said pulleys will be brought into workingcontact and the spool will be revolved. The cutting off of steampermit-s the frame B to swing back and carry the pulley C away from thepulley D.

While'I have described and prefer the employment of steam for throwingthe drivingpulleys into gear, it is evident that this could be done bythe employment of levers to be operated by hand.

Having thus fully described. my invention, I claiml. In a system ofcar-brakes, a continuous cable connected to the brake-rods, having itsforward end secured to a winding-spool upon the locomotive-tender,steam-cylinders connected with said spool, steam-connection between saidcylinders and the locomotive-boiler, and suitable mechanism withincontrol of the engineer for governing the flow of steam from the boilerto said cylinders, substantially as described.

2. In a system of car-brakes employing a continuons cable for theoperation of the brakes, the winding-spools W Y, provided withclutch-blocks for locking the same to their shaft, and means for theready revolution of said spools, substantially as described.

3. In a system of car-brakes employing a continuous cable for theoperation of the brakes, the combination, with the rear axle of thetender, provided with a sprocket-wheel,

Yof the shaft D, connected thereto and operated by the cylinders N andprovided with frictionpulleys G, and the winding-spool I, provided withfriction-pulleys J, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

4. In a system of car-brakes employing a continuous cable for theoperation of the brakes, the combination, with the windingspool I,provided with friction-pulleys J, of the oscillating engines M, shaft K,and friction-pulleys L, the parts constructed and arranged substantiallyin the manner and for the purpose specified.

5. In a system of car-brakes employing a continuous cable for theoperation of the brakes, the combination, with the rear aXle of thetender, provided with a sprocket-wheel, of the shaft D, connectedthereto and operated by the cylinders N and provided withfriction-pulleys G, the winding-spool I, provided with friction-pulleysJ, the oscillating engines M, and pulleys L, theparts constructed andarranged substantiallyin the manner and for the purpose specified.

HARVEY R. WOLFE.

Witnesses:

W. I. KNAPP, L. W. HoMIsE.

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